Hiiraan Online
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
MOGADISHU (HOL) ---As Somalis around the world celebrated the Somali Flag Day, reports of a potential flag alteration have overshadowed the events, with thousands took to the social media, calling the central government to side-step what they described as history ‘disavowal’.
For many, the development meant underplaying the history of the single white five-pointed star centered on a light blue field flag which serves as an ethnic flag for Somali people.
The report which sent shockwaves across Somalis has fuelled suspicions among Somalis who accused the government of selling the country’s history, forcing the Somali government to shed light on its stand towards the reports with the Somali president who despite astonishment rubbished the report as ‘groundless’ which he said is aimed at confusing Somalis.
“The report on the internet which points out a modification of the star on our flag is fabricated.” President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said assuring Somalis to take no notice of it.
Designed during the trusteeship of the nation’s history in October 12, 1954, upon unification of Italian Somaliland and British Somaliland, the flag was used for the nascent Somali Republic before the country has gained its independence in 1960.
“I am telling the Somali people: This is the flag which was hoisted on 26 June in 1960 and there are never plans aimed at transforming it at any point.” The president Mohamud said during a ceremony celebrating for the national Flag Day on Monday.
The president’s remarks followed reports carried by Somali portals that reported that the government has submitted a new design of the Somali flag version to the African Union for approval. The reports pointed out that the new alleged flag alteration plan was made in response to complaints by neighbouring countries that the flag’s star represent that some of their regions are legitimately parts of the Somali territory.
However, the flag’s design explains it all. The five-pointed white Star of Unity in its center represents the Somali ethnic group found in Djibouti, the Ogaden region in Ethiopia, the North Eastern Province in Kenya, and the former British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland territories in present-day Somalia